1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for storing an image in a storage medium such as an opto-magnetic disk and/or for reproducing an image stored in such a storage medium.
2. Related Background Art
An electronic file system has been known which stores or files various image data read through a scanner. Usually, this type of system is designed to enable desired processing of the image data such as addition, edition and so forth, and to store the processed image data in a storage medium such as an opto-magnetic disk. It is also possible to read the image data stored in the storage medium and to effect processings such as addition or edition of data, followed by storing the processed data again in the storage medium.
It is often experienced that the original data, i.e., the data before processing, is needed after completion of the processing.
In the known electronic file system of the type described, however, storage of the processed data is conducted such that the processed data is written over the original data, so that the original data cannot be recovered once the processing is conducted.
In order to obviate this shortcoming, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Appln. No. 55-43670 proposes an apparatus which stores both original image before processing such as edition and a processed image. This apparatus, however, inconveniently requires a large storage area for storing both the original and processed images.
Another solution is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Appln. No. 61-153769 in which, when processing such as edition is effected on an image stored in a storage medium, the storage medium stores both the address data of the original image before the processing and information showing the content of the processing such as the edition. When the processed image is to be reproduced, the stored original image is reproduced after processing which is conducted in accordance with the stored processing information read from the storage medium. This apparatus also has a drawback in that, when an identical processing is to be conducted on a plurality of images stored in the storage medium, the processing information indicating the content of the processing such as the edition has to be stored for each of the images, thus uneconomically consuming the storage area. Usually, the image after processing such as edition is a revision of the original image, so that the processed image is more frequently reproduced than the original image. It is quite inconvenient that the time required for the reproduction is prolonged due to the necessity of the processing which is conducted in accordance with the stored processing information.